New to Dendrobium growing - are these flower buds?
 

I have been given a Dendrobium which is a nobile type hybrid which had been kept absolutely sodden at standard room temps about three feet from a south west window. There was mould growing on the top of the chopped bark and no drainage holes, so I unpotted it, removed the bark that was surrounding the inner pot, took it out of that and then left it to dry out (in an oversize pot with no extra bark) to recover. It has two new canes with deformed foliage at the top, twistedover on itself, is otherwise healthy and surprisingly it had no obvious root rot although they were very white. The roots are now a little browner and I have given some water by spraying the outer ones whilst the inner bark dries back.

It is now in a bright window sill getting four hours direct sun a day and night time temperatures have been around 62 F for the last three days, because autumn finally arrived with a cold snap.

It isn't showing signs of being deciduous but I assume that as a nobile hybrid it should have winter rest. So the reason for my question was to see whether winter rest was triggered by reducing water or by cooling. Inadvertently, I seem to be doing both!!



The above was written in the Which orchids do you give a winter rest? thread elsewhere on this board. I have since put in my cool greenhouse (minimum 5 deg C) and occasionally spray the roots with a little water. The mould has long gone, the leaves are still green on the younger cane and today I noticed these nodules forming on the stem - are they flower buds?

If So what do I do now - currently it isn't even properly in a pot!!

Those buds look like the flower stalks that grew from my cane Den. I'd just keep watching them and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.:)

It's actually spiking for you.

Thanks - I think I am very lucky to get this result given how close it came to drowning ! So, should I put it into a pot, bring it into a warmer room, leave it where it is? It's a little like a mounted plant at the moment in that its roots are completely exposed - not very stable either, as it leans to one side in the oversized pot I dried it out in. Hints would be welcomed please:)

Hedge, I'm certainly no expert on things, but from reading various posts and by watching how my own 'chids behave, I've been letting my plants tell me what they want. In your case, I'd go ahead and plant it in good orchid medium, stabilize it with a support or two and watch the new spikes. If you see new root growth now, and the spikes seem to be growing, then I'd treat it as an actively growing plant (maybe it's rest period is over because of the way you rescued it) and resume water and food. Otherwise, I'd wait until the spikes seem to be actively growing again. Mine seem pretty resilient so you'll probably be alright. Good luck!

You could move it to a warmer spot and plant it in a not to large pot in a loose mix of bark,perlite and or charcoal. Don't overwater. Let it almost dry out between waterings. No water and cooler temps will trigger flower buds. Good Luck.

I'm relatively new to orchids and orchid growing, and have bought several at the local outlets. I have a question about deciduous orcids; what do they look like when they go dormant. How do I know if they are dead, or not? How should I treat them? I have three that are either dead, or dormant, and I don't know how to tell what to do with them.

I have a Howeara Lava Burst 'Puanani', which I don't knkow whether I've killed it, or if it's just dormant and resting. Can someone give me insite?

New den growing
 

Hello. A further description of what the plant looks like in it's present state would be very helpful as would a picture. Check this out for further info on your orchid.
Orchid of the Week Library: Howeara Lava Burst 'Puanani' AM/AOS

Well, there are no leaves and no sign of green. Do deciduous orchids do that?